Quote - Flash is easy to learn for simple animations, flash is also relatively easy to learn for basic action-scripting.
If you're going to get into making websites you're most likely going to have to use some actionscript. Getting a good book to teach u the ropes will probably be one of the most wise things to do if you really wanna learn flash and actionscript.

If you're looking to make dynamic websites connected to d-bases, xml feeds or you want to use css, get ready for a bunch of headaches. Flash's seemingly object-oriented nature can be deceitfull as it's anything from perfect when it comes to handling instances.

Also be aware that flash is NOT friendly when it comes to search engine indexing.

It's sold at adobe, seperately as well as in bundles. for more information on pricing and bundles i suggest looking at the adobe website.

Safeguarding content on the net is impossible. Text can be made selectable in flash if you want to, though u can also turn the selectability off. Still one could just type it over.... As for images there's printscreen apps to steal your images. Best way to safeguard images is by applying a watermark.
Audio can be tapped easily by recording the sound output of your computer, this can be done with simple softwares that are easy to get your hands on. Same goes for video, there's plenty of ways to capture it.

One thing that wasn't noted is there are HUNDREDS of "flash rippers/flash decrypters" that will take an SWF compiled code and convert it back into FLA editable format. This means even the source code to your flash movies can be downloaded and accessible in under 30 seconds if the person really wanted your stuff.